The Japan Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) drugs market focuses on treatments used to slow down or halt vision loss caused by this common eye disease, which affects older adults. Since Japan has one of the oldest populations globally, the demand for these drugs is significant. The market primarily revolves around injecting specialized medications, often called anti-VEGF agents, directly into the eye to stop the growth of abnormal blood vessels and reduce swelling. New, longer-lasting drug formulations and gene therapies are key areas of development, aiming to reduce the frequency of patient injections and improve treatment convenience across the Japanese healthcare system.
The Age-related Macular Degeneration drugs Market in Japan is expected to grow steadily at a CAGR of XX% from 2025 to 2030, increasing from an estimated US$ XX billion in 2024-2025 to reach US$ XX billion by 2030.
The global age-related macular degeneration (AMD) drugs market was valued at $9.55 billion in 2023, reached $10.46 billion in 2024, and is projected to grow at a strong 10.7% CAGR, reaching $17.37 billion by 2029.
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Drivers
The Japan Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) drugs market is overwhelmingly driven by the nation’s severe demographic reality: one of the world’s oldest populations. As AMD is predominantly an age-related condition, the rapidly expanding elderly demographic significantly increases the patient pool requiring long-term treatment. Furthermore, Japan boasts a highly sophisticated and generally accessible healthcare system, which promotes early diagnosis and consistent patient adherence to expensive, yet effective, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapies like Eylea, Lucentis, and Beovu. Government support for high-cost treatments, often through robust health insurance coverage, underpins market stability and growth despite the high price of these biologic drugs. Technological advancements in drug delivery systems, such as longer-acting formulations and the push towards gene therapies, are improving treatment convenience and efficacy, encouraging further market expansion. Additionally, increasing public and medical professional awareness regarding the risks and progression of AMD, coupled with enhanced screening initiatives, leads to earlier intervention, thereby sustaining demand for therapeutic drugs. The strong focus on high-quality medical products ensures that Japanese healthcare providers rapidly adopt the latest approved anti-VEGF therapies and innovative treatments, solidifying the market’s trajectory.
Restraints
Despite the high prevalence of AMD, the Japan drugs market faces notable restraints, primarily centered around cost and treatment burden. The exceptionally high cost of existing anti-VEGF therapies places a significant strain on the national healthcare budget, prompting intense pricing pressures from the government and forcing developers to justify the value of new treatments. The standard treatment regimen, which often involves frequent intravitreal injections (e.g., monthly or bimonthly), imposes a substantial burden on both patients and clinical resources, potentially leading to patient non-compliance or drop-out, which negatively impacts outcomes and market efficiency. Furthermore, the market entry of biosimilars, such as Ranibizumab biosimilars, while offering cost savings, creates competitive tension and downward price adjustments for the reference products, slowing revenue growth for key incumbent manufacturers. Another restraint is the regulatory complexity and time required for new drug approvals in Japan, often delaying the launch of global innovative treatments compared to other major markets. Lastly, the dry form of AMD (the most common form) currently lacks effective pharmacological treatment, meaning a large segment of the patient population cannot yet contribute to the drugs market revenue, restricting overall growth potential until more dry AMD therapies are approved.
Opportunities
Significant opportunities in the Japanese AMD drugs market are concentrated on addressing the currently underserved dry AMD population and minimizing patient treatment burden. The development and regulatory approval of effective therapies for dry AMD and geographic atrophy (GA) represent a massive, untapped market opportunity, as nearly 90% of all AMD cases are dry AMD. Leading global and domestic pharmaceutical companies are heavily investing in this area, recognizing the potential for first-to-market advantage. Another key opportunity lies in the shift toward longer-acting anti-VEGF agents and gene therapies, which can reduce the frequency of patient injections from monthly to quarterly, semi-annually, or even a single administration. This innovation drastically improves patient quality of life and reduces the workload on ophthalmology clinics, accelerating adoption. The rising acceptance of AMD biosimilars presents an opportunity to increase patient access by lowering overall treatment costs, particularly beneficial for a cost-conscious healthcare system. Moreover, leveraging Japan’s strong R&D infrastructure to partner with companies developing novel delivery systems, such as sustained-release implants or non-invasive routes, could position local firms at the forefront of global AMD care innovation.
Challenges
The Japanese AMD drugs market confronts several challenges related to clinical practice, product development, and market penetration. A major challenge is the inherent difficulty in developing therapies for dry AMD, as demonstrated by the long, complex, and often failed clinical trials globally. Successful development requires high levels of investment and managing high risk. For wet AMD, the constant threat of patent expiry and the increasing availability of biosimilars pose a challenge to the revenue streams of originator drug manufacturers. Furthermore, ensuring consistent quality and distribution standards for complex biological drugs and biosimilars across Japan’s expansive network of hospitals and specialized eye clinics is an ongoing logistical and regulatory hurdle. Clinically, accurately identifying and tracking the progression of AMD, particularly dry AMD, requires specialized imaging and diagnostic equipment, which may not be uniformly implemented across all healthcare facilities, slowing the uptake of sophisticated therapies. Finally, integrating novel treatments, especially advanced modalities like gene therapy, into Japan’s strict reimbursement system requires substantial evidence of long-term efficacy and cost-effectiveness, which is a significant barrier to commercialization for new entrants.
Role of AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to play a transformative role in the Japanese AMD drugs market, particularly in diagnostics, treatment planning, and drug discovery. In diagnostics, AI algorithms, trained on vast datasets of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images, can achieve high accuracy in detecting subtle signs of AMD progression (both wet and dry forms), often earlier than the human eye. This capability facilitates timely intervention and improves treatment outcomes. AI is also critical in optimizing injection schedules for anti-VEGF drugs. Machine learning models analyze individual patient data (visual acuity, fluid levels) to predict the optimal dosing interval, moving beyond fixed schedules to a highly personalized treatment regimen, maximizing therapeutic effect while minimizing injections. In drug discovery, AI accelerates the identification of novel therapeutic targets for dry AMD and predicts the efficacy and toxicity of potential drug candidates, drastically shortening the R&D timeline. Furthermore, AI-powered tools can assist clinical trial management in Japan by identifying suitable patient populations for complex trials (like those for gene therapies), managing clinical data, and ensuring regulatory compliance, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the drug development lifecycle in the region.
Latest Trends
The Japanese AMD drugs market is being shaped by several key trends focused on improving convenience, extending therapeutic efficacy, and addressing dry AMD. The most dominant trend is the shift toward long-acting anti-VEGF agents, such as Vabysmo and Eylea HD, designed to provide sustained disease control with fewer injections, thereby easing the burden on patients and clinics. Closely related is the emerging trend of gene therapy candidates (like Ixo-vec) for wet AMD, offering the potential for a single-dose, curative treatment that could fundamentally change the standard of care by turning a chronic condition into a one-time procedure. A third major trend is the accelerated development of drugs specifically targeting dry AMD and geographic atrophy (GA), with several key molecule candidates focused on complement pathway inhibition and anti-inflammatory mechanisms moving through late-stage clinical trials, signaling the imminent opening of a new therapeutic segment. Finally, the increasing prevalence and acceptance of biosimilars, such as those referencing Lucentis, are intensifying competition, driving down treatment costs, and necessitating manufacturers to differentiate through service and patient support programs rather than just price, contributing to overall market maturation.